Re: Competing with the Cheshire Cat - Elizabeth d'Esperance

by Lis Thu May 07, 2015 1:48 pm

Wattie,

I can't seem to post the images, but in examining the early drawings of the Davenport cabinet clearly show there were no actual walls between the three sections of the cabinet.

by wattie Thu May 07, 2015 3:46 pm

Lis wrote:Not quite right Wattie.

The Davenport cabinet, in later stages of their performances had three sections - that is on each end side a space with a seat for each brother with a space in the middle, however, there were no wall divisions between the three areas of the cabinet, where as with the cabinet Armstrong and Miller had built there were actual walls dividing each of the three sections so that no one (at least in the physical sense) could move from one part of the three compartment cabinet to another.

The Armstrong and Miller cabinet was a unique solution to the fact that two mediums were operating at the same time, and remember the fact that neither were necessarily even in any compartment at the time the 'materialisations' were occurring.

As for the Davenports, I will say no more - though I could - except to comment that 'performance' might be the right word. Certainly by the time they were visiting Australia (and earlier, actually) they no longer even pretended to be purporting to be Spiritualists or producing genuine spirit phenomena. Whatever may have been genuine in the 1850s and even just possibly into the 1860s can not be said of the 1870s and beyond.

Yes, I see. I did choose the word 'performances' on purpose!

by Spectre Sun May 10, 2015 11:18 pm

Thank you Lis, a great read I wonder what else would have been revealed about Elizabeth d'Esperance's later life if her papers hadn't been destroyed during the out break of the Great War. I believe she was in residency in Germany at the time.

by Lis Sun May 10, 2015 11:52 pm

Hi Spectre,

While undoubtedly some of her papers relating to her later years may have been destroyed during the war, not all were, and certain material, including records written by Esperance herself were sent back to England after her death and remain to this day in safekeeping.

There are currently plans to publish some of that material, which will, I am sure, prove to be very interesting.

by wattie Fri Feb 12, 2016 10:05 am

Lis wrote:Hi Spectre,

While undoubtedly some of her papers relating to her later years may have been destroyed during the war, not all were, and certain material, including records written by Esperance herself were sent back to England after her death and remain to this day in safekeeping.

There are currently plans to publish some of that material, which will, I am sure, prove to be very interesting.

I was wondering if any of this new information was now in the public domain.

by Lis Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:30 pm

Hi Wattie,

Just to update you. The Esperance material, which consists of handwritten notes by Esperance are held in the College of Psychic Studies Archives.

Professor Parker, of Gothenburg University, in Sweden, and I are currently writing a joint paper about Esperance. This clarifies who she actually was, some of the discrepancies in her story as presented in her book Shadow Land, and looks at part of her time in Sweden. The paper is intended for publication in the Journal for Scientific Exploration later this year.

I have also had contact with a descendant of Esperance's sister who also holds a significant amount of material - letters and other records written by Esperance. It is hoped this material will also eventually be donated to the College of Psychic Studies.

by wattie Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:36 am

Thanks for the update, Lis. I look forward to reading the paper when it is published.

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